Governor Rick Scott Signs Major Gun Control Legislation for Florida
It’s a move that few of us wanted, but deep in our hearts knew was going to happen eventually. Following massive public and political pressure, Florida is the first state to enact gun control legislation following the Parkland Shooting thanks to the signature of Governor Rick Scott.
Last Friday, following its passage in the Florida State House and Senate earlier in the week, Governor Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 7026, also known as the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act”. The move was immediately met by opposition from the NRA who filed a lawsuit against the state because of some of the content within the bill.
But what does SB 7026 specifically do with regards to gun control in the state? Let’s take a closer look at some of the major steps that it takes.
WHAT DOES THIS LEGISLATION DO?
ADDS ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH
In what is seen as the most positive portion for second amendment supporters in an overall very anti-gun bill, Florida will add $69 million for mental health assistance in schools in the hopes that individuals such as the man who committed the massacre in Parkland can be better discovered and dissuaded from committing these acts before they even happen.
However, the bill also prohibits gun sales to any Floridian who has been committed to a mental institution, deemed incompetent by a judge and can even bar people deemed dangerous by police and judges from owning a gun for up to a year.
BANS BUMP STOCKS
This was always going to be the sacrificial lamb when it came to any gun control. Even though bump stocks had nothing to do with the Parkland shooting, they have been vilified since they played such a major part in America’s deadliest mass shooting last October in Las Vegas.
Everyone from the President to the NRA has said in the past that banning bump stocks was a way to go to prevent events like what happened in Las Vegas so, regardless of its use at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, the bump stock will no longer be legal in Florida.
CREATES A WAITING PERIOD FOR PURCHASING FIREARMS
Now we are getting into deeper water here. Under the new law, gun buyers will now have to wait for either three days or until a background check is completed to purchase firearms in Florida. This is nearly universal, but there are some key exceptions being made for who will need to regard this portion of the law.
Police officers, members of the military, licensed hunters and licensed concealed carriers are exempt from this waiting period, so for most of you reading this, this is likely to affect you the least.
RAISES THE MINIMUM AGE TO BUY A GUN
This one, however, will affect our younger readers and is the portion of the bill that is being viciously fought against in the legal system by the NRA and that is the raising of the age limit to purchase a gun from 18 to 21.
This portion of the bill, while very much opposed by second amendment advocates was explicitly supported by both Governor Scott as well as Senator Marco Rubio, a man whose high NRA grade may well fall considerably before his next re-election campaign.
ADDS ADDITIONAL SECURITY TO SCHOOLS
I figured I would end with what might be the best part of this bill and that is that Florida is finally diving into arming and training our school faculty members in hopes that they will be the first line of defense in case another school shooting should occur.
Between police response time as well as the tragic failure of the Parkland Police to even attempt to stop the shooting from happening, it is a smart idea to have someone within the building already set to handle the situation quickly.
SB 7026 is set to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to make Florida schools more secure, hire more school-based police officers, and create a $67 million school marshal program which will allow school counselors, athletics coaches, and librarians access to firearms training and the ability to carry within the schools.
There is one group, though, that is missing from this marshal program and that is teachers. Under the law, no full-time classroom teachers will be allowed the same training given to the faculty mentioned prior.
This is also not a mandatory portion of the bill. Governor Scott stated that he wanted to leave it to local districts to decide whether or not they wish to arm their faculty in the first place.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?
That’s obviously a difficult question because we don’t have a crystal ball. Perhaps it will show more states that arming our faculty and teachers is a good idea that can prevent tragedies like the Parkland shooting. Perhaps it could get more Americans to see that well-trained, good-hearted folks can be guardians with guns and that just because someone is armed does not mean that they are a danger.
On the other hand, however, the portions of this bill could set a precedent for more sweeping legislation for Florida and the rest of the United States in the future. After all, once the pandora’s box of gun control is opened it is nearly impossible to close.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Do you believe in any portion of this bill? What do you think this means for the future of gun laws here? Let us know in the comments below.
Most of the new Florida bill seems reasonable. Lifting the age limit to 21 is probably a good idea. We had voting and drinking alcohol limits set to age 21 a few decades ago. The mental health problem could be huge. The right to carry and own a firearm is the right to protect your life and lives of others, and protected by the Second Amendment. No judge or other one person should be able to claim mental illness of a person to hinder that person’s rights to firearms. It should be a jury of at least 7 citizens, requiring at least 6 to ban the person for one year. Nazi Germany used “mental illness” issues to restrict their political enemies.
[…] Governor Rick Scott Signs Major Gun Control Legislation for Florida […]
If the people aren’t responsible enough to own a gun at 18, then they aren’t responsible enough to vote – change that to 21 as well!
I agree, age discrimination, your an adult at the age of 18, you can go to war, you can vote, but you can’t buy a gun. I live in CT. our rights been trampled also after sandy hook, can’t buy and scary guns, no pistol grips, no thumb hole, no foldable stock. to scary.no more than a 10 round mag.
Not old enough to go in the service either.
There went my vote for Gov. Scott, any politician instrumental in the passing of any law that violates the basis rights, i.e. the right to self-defense, DUE Process, etc. is not fit to govern let alone become a United States Senator. Looks like Senator Nelson is getting my vote come election day. I don’t know which is worse, a R.I.N.O. or a left leaning democrat.
Now that the age has been raised to 21, so should the age of owning a cell phone! I was hit twice, within four months by teens talking on a cell phone. How many people have been killed by the cell phone? DOT reports that 391,000 people were hurt and 3477 died from the use of cell phones. Of course, it’s the cell phones fault, not the lugnut behind the wheel! Take them away. Also, in 2016, 37,461 people were killed by drunk drivers, we need to close all the liquor stores because we all know it’s their fault that people drink. Also, lets take all cars off of the highway as it’s the car that did the killing.
Wake up America, guns do not kill, people do!
I’m pretty well ok with the bump stock, one will not need that many rounds to to bring game down. About the age 18 to 21, this I do not agree with and I believe that many more agree that governor Scott has stopped his reelection. I as a concealed carry holder WILL NOT VOTE FOR HIM AGAIN.